Electric-railway conduit



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- A. W. WRIGHT.

ELECTRIC RAIL-WAY ONDUII.v y No. 186,315..- Panten'ed'Nov.` 1 5, 1892.

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A. W. WRIGHT. ELETRIG RAILWAYl GONDUIT.

No. 486,315. V Patented Nov. l5, 1892.

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AUGUSTINE W. WRIGHT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SIEMENS & HALSKE ELECTRIC COMPANY OF AMERICA, OF ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY CONDUIT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,315, dated November 15, 1892.

Application filed May 12, 1892. Serial No. 432.784. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUsTINE W. WRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, of which the following is a specication.

This invention relates to surface railways wherein the power is communicated to the vehicle from an underground source, a streetslot being provided for communication.

The object of the invention is to provide a solid and selfcontained subway structure wherein the yokes are adapted to resist the pressure of the traflic directly upon the pillars thereof and to support the slot-rails against deflect-ion. y

I will proceed to describethe structure embodying myinvention and subsequently point out in the appended claims its novel characteristics.

Figure l is a cross-sectional elevation showing my invention embodied in a double'conduit; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of Fig. l, taken on the line so w; and Fig. 3 a cross-sectional view of the roadway on a reduced scale, showing the relative position between the subway and the respective tracks.

A represents the yoke, which is of the form shown and has the slot-rail supports or pillars B B integral therewith. The yoke A has a horizontal base C, resting on a gravel bed D to maintain its level position. The extremities of yoke A are supported by abutments between cross-ties E E of the respective tracks F F.

I I represent the slot-rails, the top flanges@ of which rest directly on the pillars B B of the yoke A. The slot-rails I I are composed' of angle-irons,the lower parts b of which ineline divergingly from the top toward the bottom, and at an intermediate point the inclined portion of said slot-rails is provided with ribs c, adapted to shed water and prevent its dripping upon the electrical conductors H H or parts that may be contained within the conduit. The electrical conductors H H are supported in suitable insulated supports G. The slot-rails I I are secured to the eX- tremities B B" of the yokes by means of bolts 5o d, having interposed washers e. The outside supports B and B of the yokeAhave webs J J, which form pockets to receive the pavingstones. Between the supports B B of the yoke A, at suitable intervals, are provided manhole-plates N, resting on the flanges. of the inner slot-rails. Access is` had through these manholes to both conduits within the yoke. The spaces between the two conduits and the manhole-openings are completed or 6o filled with any suitable material. Watersheds L are provided on the outer walls of the conduits, the same being composed of wrought-iron plates having their lower edges resting in mortises f on each side ofthe yoke A and their upper portions retained by the iianges b of the outer slot-rails I. A concrete filling is provided in the subway between the yokes A, forming a surface at the line g, Fig. 1, and also clearly represented in Fig. 2, 7o suitable means for drainage being provided along the road-bed. A traveling contactmaking device or plow moves in each conduit for collecting the electric current, said contact-making device being suspended by a shank or connection extending through the slot M or N and carried by the car at one side of the same.

I claim as my inventionl 1. In an underground conduit for electric 8o railways, the combination, with a yoke provided with upper vertical converging slotrail supports and a mortise adjacent to the base of the outer support, of angular slot-rails having horizontal portions resting on the top of said supports and dependent diverging portions facing said supports and bolted thereto, an independent water-shed seated in said mortise and locked by the adjacent angular plate, and a suitable supply conductor or con- 9o ductors in said conduit, substantially as described.

2. In a double underground conduit for electric railways, the combination, with the double yoke-casting provided with the double 9 5 series of converging rail-supports, so that the inner supports relatively diverge, of angular In testimony whereof I afflxmy signaturein slotrails seated on and bolted to the snp the presence of two Witnesses. ports, the spaces between the inner diverging supports forming openings for access to the AUGUSUNE W' WRIGIH 5 conduits at either side, and manholes bearing Witnesses:

on the inner slot-rails for closing said open- EDW. A. MEYSENBURG,

ings, substantially as described.' O. XV. MEYSENBURG. 

